Redwood City, California, USA, 2018-May-09 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — Parallax Media Ventures, a leading animation storytelling production company, today announced that it is developing the classic American comic strip, ‘B.C.’ by John Hart Studios as an animated feature film. The team’s pitch reel, featuring storyboard images and concept paintings, will be available for private viewing in May. The feature is a 4-quadrant title Parallax is shoring up for early 2021 release, and currently meeting with potential partners and financiers.

Parallax and Hart Studios will attend the Licensing Expo May 22-24 in Las Vegas to discuss this project with interested parties. To schedule a time to meet and view the pitch reel, please email Kevin Richardson at kevin_richardson@parallaxmedia.ventures

Founded in 2015, Parallax Media Ventures is led by Kevin Richardson, a former executive and senior producer at Nickelodeon, Electronic Arts and Mattel Interactive, and on feature films for leading domestic firms as LucasFilms, Hyperion, Colossal; and abroad at Wang Films Taiwan, MS Films Germany, KingKey Animation China, and most recently Studio Climb Malaysia. Kevin initially became interested in ‘B.C.’ in high school when he produced an animated short on the building of Stonehenge with characters inspired by the strip.

“Today, Johnny Hart’s grandsons Mason and Mick are the wizards behind the daily comic strip,” said Patti Hart of John Hart Studios. “Using their grandfather’s playbook, they take inspiration from trends, headlines, and the politics du-jour and spin them into timeless commentaries and general silliness. We are super excited about seeing B.C. continue its journey onto the big screen. It’s been a great pleasure working with Parallax Media Ventures. Kevin has put together an amazing team and their level of professionalism continues to impress us.”

“B.C. is an American classic like apple pie and baseball,” said Richardson. “60 years strong, the daily strip runs in over 800 North American newspapers – newspapers with a reach of 64.4 million readers. This gives us a tremendous connection to the fans, and allows us to expand B.C. to an on-screen and off-screen experience. Mason, Mick, and Patti at Hart Studios have helped us understand and blow out the characters – right down to what they eat for breakfast! Thanks to the time-tested and quirky ensemble, there’s no shortage of fun material to work with.”

The Parallax ‘B.C.’ team has collectively worked on 18 animated features, with an aggregate $10 billion USD box office.

The Parallax ‘B.C.’ team includes:

Julia Lundman – Julia Lundman is a concept illustrator with over twenty years of experience in the entertainment business. Classically trained, she started her career in commercial animation, art directing commercials and animated shorts, one of which, “Stubble Trubble” was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999. After moving to San Francisco in 2000, she moved into concept art and illustration for games, concept art for Lego, and served as Art Director on Disney’s animated series, “Whisker Haven Tales”, produced at Ghostbot. She was honored to be a finalist in the ILM Art Station worldwide contest in 2015 for key frame concept art.

Claus Dzalakowski, art direction/look development – based in Australia Claus recently opened a facility in India for animation and FX work. Claus has worked on animated features and TV in over 10 countries and has held key positions on several Nickelodeon productions such as Bubbleguppies.

Mike Cachuela – Story Artist – 30 years of story development experience including classics Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Instrumental in setting up animation feature studios like LAIKA where he co-directed Coraline.

Jim Beihold – story consultant – more than 16 features in 30 years, including work on Tarzan; The Little Mermaid, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Jaikumar Balasubramanian – animation pipe and pre-viz – one of India’s best animation directors and CG pipeline and FX masters, he has worked for Technicolor, Nickelodeon, Disney, and Sony Imageworks.

ABOUT PARALLAX MEDIA VENTURES
Parallax Media Ventures is a boutique global animation storytelling production studio that focuses on early-stage independent feature film properties. Parallax currently has several properties in development, and is comprised of some of the leading animation experts in the industry. Based in Redwood City, California, the company operates using a distributed, virtual, team model. Parallax Media Ventures can be found on the Web at www.parallaxmedia.ventures and on Twitter at @ParallaxMV

Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2017-Oct-25 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — Simply Innovative Products, Inc. (OTCPink: SMPI) has received first samples off production mold of the disposable beverage lid from the company’s subsidiary Simply Lids.

The first samples were produced from the company’s newest supplier of high-tech thin walled injection molding. These samples reflex the final design of the injection lid that will change the food & beverage industry for a long, long, time. Final adjustments and operational parameters are being calculated from the first samples and used to establish standards for future equipment and production.

Simply Innovative Products, Inc. President John Newman stated “After four years of developing and refining the simply lid, we were finally able to get a mold maker that was capable of making the ultimate design which matches our original vision without compromise. This design will set the standard of disposable lids for years to come. ”

About Us:
Simply Innovative Products, Inc. is a development company specializing in plastic products in various markets. BugoutTM Pet Products is the company’s latest acquisition, poised to make an impact in the multi-million-dollar pet industry.

Simply Lids is an award-winning company whose specialty is disposable beverage lids in the food services industry. Simply Lids’ patented technologies provide a safer, more enjoyable drinking experience, without splashing or spills, and has the added benefit of unique marketing opportunities, never before realized in this industry sector. Simply Lids plans on being the leader in this multi-billion-dollar sector through the application of its unique technology and innovation. For more information, please visit our website at www.simplyinnovativeproducts.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this release, words such as “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “projected,” “planned,” forecasted” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are, by their very nature, not guarantees of Simply Innovative Product Inc.’s future operational or financial performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Due to the risks and uncertainties, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

New York, NY, 2017-Oct-12 — /REAL TIME PRESS RELEASE/ — Top Performing Investment Manager, Chetan Kapur of ThinkStrategy Capital, Went Way Above and Beyond for Investors which Enjoyed Leading Returns for a Decade. Chetan Kapur Gets Unjustly, Unjustifiably and Repeatedly Attacked by Corrupt Element at the SEC. Top Performing Investment Manager, Chetan Kapur of ThinkStrategy Capital, Went Way Above and Beyond for Investors which Enjoyed Leading Returns for a Decade. Chetan Kapur Gets Unjustly, Unjustifiably and Repeatedly Attacked by Corrupt Element at the SEC.

Extremely Honest, Selfless & Diligent Chetan Kapur Sacrificed All His and ThinkStrategy’s Resources for the Benefit of Investors During the Great Recession and Thereafter. Chetan Kapur Even Gave Up His Investment and Creditor Claim in the ThinkStrategy Funds for the Benefit of Investors.

Corrupt, Deceitful Contingent at SEC Engaged in a Campaign of Harassment, Defamation and False Imprisonment Against Chetan Kapur. The SEC Attack Began One Year After ThinkStrategy Closed Operations, With the Worst Banking Crisis in US History, Having Depleted All Resources for Investors Benefit. SEC Attempted to Extort Third Parties Including Chetan Kapur’s Family Out of Assets That Legally Belonged to Them But Failure Was Inevitable.

All SEC Claims Against Chetan Kapur were Clearly Defamatory, Slanderous, Fictional and Egregiously False. SEC’s Fabricated and Fake Claims were Based on Stale, Partial, Out of Context, Contorted or Erroneous Information.

Numerous Independent Third Parties Provide Testimony and Testimonials Which Highlight Chetan Kapur’s Excellent Reputation, Impeccable Character and Outstanding Contribution to the Community.

ThinkStrategy Capital Management managed and advised two leading hedge funds – ThinkStrategy Capital Fund, an equity market-neutral fund and TS Multi-Strategy Fund, a leveraged multi-strategy fund of hedge funds and had a comprehensive managed account program. The funds and managed accounts provided investors excellent annual returns with low relative volatility for the majority of a decade. All investors received the reported returns that were based on the net asset values generated from the funds trading or allocations. With the financial and banking crisis, the leveraged TS Multi-Strategy Fund, a top performer, was put into liquidation by its lender and custodian, KBC Financial, in 2008 (which put all their leveraged clients into liquidation). ThinkStrategy Capital eventually put the TS Multi-Strategy Fund into the hands of PriceWaterhouse Coopers. The TS Multi-Strategy Fund conducted due diligence on or evaluated approximately 8000 investment opportunities and had over 150 different investments.

ThinkStrategy Capital had quality independent service providers that audited and administered the Company’s funds and returns. The Funds’ custody, leverage, brokerage, liquidation, legal, tax and other service providers were also quality independent firms. The service providers included PriceWaterhouse Coopers, KBC Financial, O’Connor Davies Munns and Dobbins, Eisner, Folio Administrators and Kirkpatrick & Lockhart.

ThinkStrategy Capital always had a Director of Business Development that fully managed and spearheaded the firm’s capital raising, sales and investor relations effort. The Director of Business Development created all offering materials and was responsible for all investor needs as it related to the Funds’ performance, assets under management, longevity, strategy, due diligence and management team. In addition, other senior members spearheaded portfolio management, research and due diligence, trading and other functional areas of the firm (such as operations and archiving). ThinkStrategy Capital was a sophisticated growing firm managed in a similar fashion to many growing hedge funds of its size.

Any inadvertent omission or inaccuracy made by ThinkStrategy’s Director of Business Development or his investor relations team in the normal course of business in one-off documents was not only corrected immediately when identified and re-issued but also accurately noted in many other offering and marketing materials including the fund’s foundational offering documents (i.e. the Offering Memorandum, Limited Partnership Agreement and Investment Management Agreement). The Funds’ sophisticated, qualified, experienced, accredited investors carefully reviewed all documents and spoke to and met the ThinkStrategy team and their independent service providers – all of which accurately answered all questions prior to investment. Not one ThinkStrategy investor was ever misled in any way, shape or form as to the investment products and the risks associated with them. Not one investor ever redeemed as a result of an inadvertent inaccuracy being corrected by the Director of Business Development or his investor relations team.

ThinkStrategy Capital Management conducted comprehensive research and due diligence in all its investment products. ThinkStrategy Capital’s fund of hedge fund product, TS Multi-Strategy Fund, had an extensive, multi-faceted program of diligence that included operational, strategy, risk, stress and scenario due diligence processes (that were applied to all sub-funds being evaluated). Each due diligence process had several qualitative and quantitative aspects and checks not noted to investors but to their benefit. Other leading fund of funds also had similar processes that were above or at industry standard for the time. The TS Multi-Strategy Fund investments oftentimes were recommended by highly regarded institutional advisors or consultants, or came from respected investment databases. All TS Multi-Strategy Fund sub-fund managers always had strong knowledge and experience with their strategy, very solid business and investing experience, and used quality service providers. Many sub-funds were eliminated from consideration as a result of the stringent and multi-faceted due diligence performed by ThinkStrategy Capital. TS Multi-Strategy Fund continually improved its above or at industry standard due diligence processes eventually adopting a ‘No Stone Should Be Left Unturned’ policy even if there were no red flags. Furthermore, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund could not invest in any sub-fund unless it passed KBC Financial’s (TS Multi-Strategy Fund’s lender and custodian) independent due diligence processes and standards.

The TS Multi-Strategy Fund, a leading performer, was one of KBC Financial’s last clients to be put into liquidation as it was a top performer and well diversified. The leveraged fund of hedge funds had no choice in having to submit full control over to KBC Financial’s liquidation process, the worst banking crisis in US history and the worst economic and financial crisis since 1929. Nonetheless, the fund outperformed a vast majority of its peers locked in a similar position in spite of coming to discover and fully writing off a couple of issue or fraudulent sub-investments. Further, had the SEC done their jobs properly, being the only ones with access to third-party fund bank and brokerage statements, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund of Funds and thousands of other sophisticated investors would not have been a victim of any fraud losses. The TS Multi-Strategy Fund and the ThinkStrategy Capital Fund enjoyed investment success and outperformance significantly higher than its peers in all periods.

Chetan Kapur and ThinkStrategy Capital worked very diligently for investors of the leveraged funds even while receiving no compensation or fees for approximately 3 years as KBC Financial (lender and custodian that put all their clients into liquidation with the US banking crisis) halted all required fees payable to their investment managers during the liquidation period. ThinkStrategy Capital and its founder, Chetan Kapur, thereafter went out-of-pocket during these 3 years to pay for the entire infrastructure and operating expenses of these funds until their resources were fully depleted leaving Chetan Kapur with very significant debts. Most other investment managers would have forced their funds into court receivership or the hands of a liquidator immediately whereby all these expenses and costs would be charged to the fund – thereby hurting investor returns (and would not have worked 16+ hour days in selfless sacrifice as Chetan Kapur did). Chetan Kapur did not abandon investors, which he was legally entitled to do as he was working gratis. Investors benefitted at the very substantial cost and expense of Chetan Kapur.

ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur during this liquidation period devoted a lot of hard work and effort in providing detailed reports to investors, in making prudent decisions on sub-funds that were restructuring or liquidating, in procuring the sub-funds to payout as soon as feasible (including participating in investor committees and appointing advisors to oversee payouts), in obtaining risk, liquidity, outlook and other updates from the sub-funds, as well as maintained coordination with all service providers to the fund (the independent auditors, the independent administrators, the independent accountants and tax preparers, and independent legal) while the Company and Kapur received no compensation for their diligence. Further, the fund’s investors were provided substantial fee discounts in the normal course of business prior to the economic and banking crisis too – once again benefitting investors at the cost of ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur.

ThinkStrategy Capital eventually put the Multi-Strategy Fund of Hedge Funds into the hands of PriceWaterhouse Coopers after 3 long years of managing all aspects and costs of the funds without pay, having done all it could for investors, depleting resources fully and leaving founder, Chetan Kapur, in a very substantial debt position. Further, ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur suffered the exact same percentage loss during the economic, banking and private lending crisis being an investor in the fund that was put into liquidation. ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur wrote off their fund investment and a very considerable creditor claim towards the fund for the major benefit of investors.

Edgar Perez, author of The AI Breakthrough, How Artificial Intelligence is Advancing Deep Learning and Revolutionizing Your World, and former strategy consultant with McKinsey, partnering with Terrapinn Training in 3-Day Masterclass in Deep Learning in London, Dubai, New York and Singapore.

New York City, NY, USA — While many industries susceptible to automation already been widely adopting Deep Learning, its application has only been growing recently in financial trading. While it is true that asset managers of all sizes are recruiting every Deep Learning professional they can contact, it is also true that traditional alphas are getting very hard to make money on; in fact, Deep Learning is not making a substantive difference, yet.

Investment firms today are looking for information in new data sources like shipping receipts, customer feedback on Twitter, speeches by federal reserve members (even attempting to categorize the tone or word selection in these speeches), and literally anything under the sky. Most of this data is unstructured and there is very little precedence to it. It would be close to impossible to make simple predictive models. Deep Learning has been used to take a lot of unlabeled data and successfully learn the structure. That will help to improve the accuracy of their models.

For Edgar Perez, author of The AI Breakthrough, Knightmare on Wall Street and The Speed Traders, the advancement of deep learning will impact financial trading in the near-term future. Some firms are using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to analyze trading charts to see if they can identify patterns in stock trading charts; other firms are using Deep Reinforcement Learning (Deep Q Learning) to analyze the optimal times to trade. Ultimately, “the application of deep learning in trading will be second nature,” says Perez; he is a well-known international futurist, artificial intelligence and deep learning speaker who currently offers the world’s first Deep Learning workshop for Fortune 500 firms and private equity groups.

RECENT TESTIMONIALS
• “Thanks for the great work training our employees. You really made a difference!” Global Chief Information Security Officer
• “After working with a number of vendors, we found your team to be in a qualitatively different level. By that I speak to your deep expertise and exemplary professionalism.” Divisional Chief Information Officer
• “The team that Edgar has assembled is top-notch. There are no words to express our satisfaction with your high-quality delivery.” Member of the Board of Directors
• “The program provides a comprehensive approach for any organization to lead in cybersecurity readiness.” IT Coordinator

ABOUT THE AI BREAKTHROUGH
Artificial intelligence has been referred as the general ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term has indeed been frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with the intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, generalize, discover meaning, or learn from past experiences. Since the development of the digital computer in the 1940s, it has been demonstrated that computers can be programmed to carry out very complex tasks with great proficiency. Still, despite continuing advances in computer processing speed and memory capacity, there are as yet no programs that can match human flexibility over wider domains or in tasks requiring much everyday knowledge.

In 1945, British logician and computer pioneer Alan Turing predicted that computers would one day play very good chess. Just over 50 years later, in 1997, Deep Blue, a chess computer built by IBM beat the reigning world champion, Garry Kasparov, in a six-game match. Since then, a number of programs have attained the performance levels of human experts and professionals in performing certain specific tasks, so that artificial intelligence is now found in applications as diverse as medical diagnosis, computer search engines, and voice or handwriting recognition.

Indeed, deep learning has enabled many practical applications of machine learning and by extension the overall field of artificial intelligence. Deep learning breaks down tasks in ways that makes all kinds of machine aids seem possible, even likely. Driverless cars, better image recognition, even better movie recommendations, are all here today. Artificial intelligence is the present and the future.

The AI Breakthrough, How Artificial Intelligence is Advancing Deep Learning and Revolutionizing Your World, will provide a comprehensive review of the artificial intelligence breakthroughs of today and tomorrow and how these advancements will impact businesses and the human race in general for years to come.

ABOUT EDGAR PEREZ
Mr. Edgar Perez is a published author, keynote speaker, business consultant for billion-dollar private equity and hedge funds and Council Member at the Gerson Lehrman Group, Guidepoint Global Advisors, Research International and Internal Consulting Group, with subject matter expertise in artificial intelligence and deep learning, cyber security and financial regulation (Dodd-Frank Act).

He is author of The AI Breakthrough, How Artificial Intelligence is Advancing Deep Learning and Revolutionizing Your World (2018), Knightmare on Wall Street, The Rise and Fall of Knight Capital and the Biggest Risk for Financial Markets (2013), and The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World, published in English by McGraw-Hill Inc. (2011), Published in Mandarin by China Financial Publishing House (2012), and Investasi Super Kilat, published in Bahasa Indonesia by Kompas Gramedia (2012).

Mr. Perez has addressed thousands of top executives around the world through keynote speeches and corporate training programs on artificial intelligence, deep learning, cybersecurity and financial trading. He has presented in Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, Kiev, Kuala Lumpur, Lima, London, Miami, Naples, New York, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm and Warsaw, among other global capitals. He contributes to The New York Times and China’s International Finance News and Sina Finance.

Mr. Perez was a vice president at Citigroup, a senior consultant at IBM, and a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York City. Previously, he managed Operations and Technology for Peruval Finance. Mr. Perez has an undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru (1994), a Master of Administration from Universidad ESAN, Lima, Peru (1997) and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, New York, with a dual major in Finance and Management (2002). He belongs to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. Mr. Perez is an accomplished salsa and hustle dancer and resides in the New York City area.

London, UK — Equities First Holdings, LLC (EFH), a global lender and a leader in shareholder financing solutions, is pleased to announce that Dr. Drew Nelson, chief executive of IQE plc, has concluded a financing agreement into which he entered with EFH in 2014.

EFH has returned all underlying collateral to Dr. Nelson, which at repatriation are valued at more than £23.5 million, a 780% increase in value from when the transaction was executed in October 2014.

Background on the transaction
On 14 October 2014, IQE notified the AIM market that Dr. Nelson had pledged 18 million shares to EFH in return for a cash loan of £1.865m. The proceeds were used to purchase additional shares of IQE and satisfy tax and National Insurance payable on the exercise of share options. The 18 million shares were worth £23,580,000 at repayment.

“This is exactly what Equities First is here to do for its clients,” said EFH Founder and CEO Al Christy, Jr. “By offering market-leading terms at a fair margin and a fixed three-year timeframe, EFH borrowers can access capital against their stock to meet immediate capital needs without forfeiting future economic opportunity. For the past 15 years EFH has delivered these types of opportunities to clients around the globe, and we look forward to continuing to serve our clients in the years to come.”

Background on EFH loan structures
EFH is a specialist lender which provides competitive value cash loans to publicly quoted company shareholders collateralised by portions of their holdings. The loan term is typically three years, which allows EFH to manage the position for value over a reasonable time frame. EFH contractually pledges not to lend out or short sell during that time, and all market activities are executed to have no impact on stock price or trading volumes.

When the loan matures and is repaid, EFH returns the shares, allowing the borrower to keep all the upside growth in the share price during the period. The loans are non-recourse, which means that the borrower does not provide security in respect to their other assets.

“Clients in the U.K. and Europe have accessed funding from EFH for a wide range of purposes,” said Jeff Smith, Senior Managing Director of Equities First Holdings, LLC. “The key for them is the ability to retain their interest in the underlying shares and full exposure to any upside. EFH has a perfect track record of returning borrower collateral on maturity and repayment, regardless of how much the shares have increased in value.”

“On the back of arrangements such as these, EFH has seen attractive growth in the European markets, led through our London office,” continued Christy. “As European clients become increasingly familiar with the EFH methodology we expect to see a further increase in the number of transactions we conduct here.”

About Equities First Holdings
Since 2002, Equities First Holdings, LLC has provided clients with innovative financing solutions, supplying capital against publicly traded stock to enable clients to meet their personal and professional financial goals. EFH provides capital against shares traded on public exchanges around the world while offering clients competitive loan-to-value rates and low costs of capital. Over the past 5 years, EFH has completed more than 500 transactions and deployed more than $1.4 billion (USD) to clients across the globe.

EFH is a global company with offices in 10 countries, including wholly owned subsidiaries Equities First (London) Limited, Equities First Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Equities First Holdings Singapore Limited, and Equities First Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd. For more information, visit http://www.equitiesfirst.com.

DISCLAIMER
This release is intended for professional investors use only, and does not constitute an offer, stated or implied, of any type. Equities First Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries work exclusively with individuals classified as Professional or sophisticated investors. The Equities First Holdings platform is not intended for retail investors.

This, along with the May release of the Fed’s senior loan officer survey, highlights a “closing window of opportunity for affordable financing from commercial lenders,” according to Eric Fedewa, Ascend Capital Partners Managing Partner. The senior loan officer survey indicates that there will be a tightening in traditional lending practices for the commercial real estate sector.

With these factors in mind, Fedewa said Ascend Capital Partners can fill some of the void in traditional financing for commercial real estate by offering financing alternatives such as inexpensive institutional debt, bridge financing, and equity.

“The Fed’s May report concurs with the tightening trends we’ve been observing this year in traditional lending for commercial loans. The need for alternative financing is clear,” said Fedewa.

“The tightening of traditional lending sources comes at an inopportune time for investors as the new administration is trying to heat up the U.S. economy,” said Fedewa, noting that a tightening of monetary policies on behalf of the Fed could raise lending costs for alternative and traditional lenders alike.

“The strengthening economy is creating demand, yet traditional financing practices have tightened. Unfortunately, the window in which alternative lending sources can provide inexpensive financing could be limited as potential Fed rate hikes loom on the horizon,” he said.

Ascend Capital Partners has expanded its financial service offerings and added several new offices with strong teams of financial experts in prime market areas.

“We’ve expanded our Washington, DC area headquarters and are adding offices in Boston, New York City, Sarasota, Florida, Austin, and San Francisco. We’ve added new professionals to the D.C. team who are all top performers in their fields and can provide a broad range of services to our present and prospective clients,” he said.

“We’re not only assisting our customers with financing, but we also offer consulting and strategic advisory services,” said Anne Brensley, an attorney by trade who heads up the firm’s advisory business:

Brensley has been successfully facilitating financial deals, directly providing equity, and consulting on complex real estate matters for the past ten years.

“We’ve been able to assist in changing government attitudes towards projects, walking developers through rezoning issues, and helping owners ‘right-size’ their capital structure. Ascend has seen an unaddressed need for bridge funding with EB-5 projects, and we’ve helped our clients utilize an array of specialized funding vehicles to get their projects completed,” she said.

Ascend Capital Partners provides financing options as well as advisors in several different areas of the commercial real estate financial sector.

For instance, Fedewa and Jud Villa worked together in Florida funding commercial loans. Villa is also an expert in single family home, “fix and flip, and fix and hold” deals. “We have so many ways to assist our borrower/clients, but helping them make smart choices and matching them up with financing,” said Villa.

Rob Merkle and Vince Lane round out the Ascend commercial real estate team. Lane has been a real estate developer, and also has expertise in high tech and international business. He splits time between Austin and San Francisco. Merkle heads up the New York City office, where he has worked for years and overseen billions of dollars in deals in and around Manhattan.

In college, Merkle played football for The University of Notre Dame. He said: “I know about teams, and this is a great one. We cover some of the most dynamic markets in the country, and our people are aggressive and seasoned professionals.”

“In markets like San Francisco and Austin, there’s a huge need for the type of innovative and alternative financing that Ascend offers. Banks are not lending, but we’re picking up the slack,” said Lane.

“We have sources which include debt funds, private equity, hedge funds, and our own managed funds,” said Fedewa. “With our decades of expertise, we will assist in finding the most efficient capital stack for your project.”

For inquiries or information about Ascend Capital Partners financing and advisory services, visit the new website — http://www.ascendcapp.com — or call: (703) 982-0609.

Patience and discipline differentiate EFH from other lenders in the industry.

Indianapolis, IN, USA — Equities First Holdings, LLC (EFH), a provider of alternative shareholder financing, celebrates 15 years of success this month. The vision of founder and CEO Al Christy, Jr., EFH has successfully completed more than 700 transactions and delivered nearly $1 billion USD to clients over the past 4 years. Christy credits his success to hard-won experience, patience, and the discipline of conforming to his own tested loan and investment guidelines.

EFH continues to expand thanks to an investment model that takes advantage of the natural, organic cycles in the market. Before launching EFH in 2002, Christy spent years studying market patterns and using his own funds to test loan and investment strategies. Over time, he developed a methodology that has continued to yield returns for EFH and provide low cost capital for clients:

1. Discipline – Success relies on staying within the boundaries of the EFH model. EFH applies its own rules and guidelines tested over time, and does not deviate from the model.
2. Integrity – EFH is committed to always doing the right thing the right way. That commitment continues to serve the firm and its clients in an industry under close scrutiny by regulatory agencies, and was the genesis for EFH’s mantra – a higher level of lending.
3. Patience – Success takes time. Since the market must be allowed to complete its natural cycle in order for reward to follow risk, EFH builds patience into the terms of its deals to help maximize returns and success.

“Securities-based lending is not a new or untested concept,” said Christy. “It is a long-standing financial tool used by companies, governments, and financial institutions every day. And while securities-based lending may be offered by financial planners, investment advisers, banks, and others as a viable option for clients to raise capital, very few financial institutions, including large commercial banks, can offer non-recourse features or loans with a low cost of funds. We have a successful track record because we live and breathe equities-based lending every day.”

EFH has been able to expand its business model to eight markets. Christy has determined that market performance and the motivations of people who drive those markets is universal, and the same practices and disciplines that are successful in the U.S. are successful overseas as well.

About Equities First Holdings
Since 2002, Equities First Holdings, LLC has provided clients with alternative financing solutions, supplying capital against publicly traded stock to enable clients to meet their personal and professional financial goals. EFH provides capital against shares traded on public exchanges around the world while offering clients competitive loan-to-value rates and low costs of capital. The company has completed more than 700 transactions since its inception, and deployed nearly $1 billion to clients over the past 4 years alone.

EFH is a global company with offices in nine countries, including wholly owned subsidiaries Equities First (London) Limited, Equities First Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Equities First Holdings Singapore Limited, and Equities First Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd. For more information, visit http://www.equitiesfirst.com.

DISCLAIMER
This release is intended for Professional Investors use only, and does not constitute an offer, stated or implied, of any type. Equities First Holdings, LLC and all of its subsidiaries work exclusively with individuals classified as Professional or sophisticated investors. The Equities First Holdings platform is not intended for Retail investors.

Edgar Perez, author of Knightmare on Wall Street and The Speed Traders, provides essential cyber security awareness training to reduce the risk that employees and partners can fall victim to sophisticated phishing or social engineering methods and unknowingly serve as entry points into the firm’s information and data systems.

New York City, NY, USA — An unusually sophisticated identity phishing campaign that targeted Gmail users and sought to gain control of their entire email histories was revealed by Google last week.

The worm, which arrived in users’ inboxes posing as an email from trusted contacts, asked users to check out an attached “Google Docs,” or GDocs, file. Clicking on the link took them to a real Google security page, where users were asked to give permission for the fake app, posing as GDocs, to manage users’ email account. To make matters worse, the worm also sent itself out to all of the affected users’ contacts reproducing itself hundreds of times any time a single user fell for it.

While the worm caused havoc for millions of users because of its unusually sophisticated construction, firms that trusted cybersecurity expert and trainer Edgar Perez would have been spared the expensive and embarrassing experience of having their information compromised. Mr. Perez’s programs target boards, CEOs and employees and turns them into the company’s first line of defense. For more information about public and in-house programs, please visit http://www.MrEdgarPerez.com.

Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders (http://www.thespeedtraders.com) and Knightmare on Wall Street (http://www.knightmareonwallstreet.com), is a recognized futurist, keynote speaker and director of programs targeted at board members, chief executive officers and senior executives looking for new ways to gain and maintain a competitive business advantage.

SPEAKER’S KEYNOTE TOPICS

• The Importance of the Cybersecurity Framework for Directors and CEOs
• Establishing or Improving a Cybersecurity Program
• Social Engineering: The “Weakest Human Link” in Cybersecurity
• Finance in the New Global Economy
• The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading
• The Impact of Brexit in the U.K and the World
• The Biggest Risks for Financial Markets
• Blockchain and its impact on Finance
• China: To Rebalance or Not to Rebalance

SPEAKER’S RECENT TESTIMONIALS

• “I would like to show my appreciation on your willingness to share your insights about cybersecurity. We would certainly have you in mind as we move forward to deal with this very important issue.” Nik Hasyudeen, former President of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (Malaysia)

• “Your presentation was the real highlight of the Emerging Markets Investments Summit. You clearly have the connections in the industry and are very well connected.” Alex Ritson, BBC News Presenter at The Newsroom, World Business Report and Business Matters (United Kingdom)

• “It was such a pleasure to have you participate in our conference. The feedback was great and the information you shared with the audience was invaluable. Once again, thank you for your contribution in making the event a success.” Holly Chudzy, Corporate Events Coordinator, Peters & Co. (Canada)

ABOUT EDGAR PEREZ
Mr. Edgar Perez is a published author, business consultant for billion-dollar private equity and hedge funds and Council Member at the Gerson Lehrman Group, Guidepoint Global Advisors and Research International, with subject matter expertise in cyber security, investing, trading, financial regulation (Dodd-Frank Act) and market structure.

He is author of Knightmare on Wall Street, The Rise and Fall of Knight Capital and the Biggest Risk for Financial Markets (2013), and The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World, published in English by McGraw-Hill Inc. (2011), Published in Mandarin by China Financial Publishing House (2012), and Investasi Super Kilat, published in Bahasa Indonesia by Kompas Gramedia (2012).

Mr. Perez is course director of Cybersecurity Boardroom Workshop, How Boards of Directors and CXOs Can Build the Proper Foundation to Address Today’s Information Security Challenges, and The Speed Traders Workshop, How High Frequency Traders Leverage Profitable Strategies to Find Alpha in Equities, Options, Futures and FX; he has presented his workshops in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Warsaw, Kiev, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai. He contributes to The New York Times and China’s International Finance News and Sina Finance.

Mr. Perez was a vice president at Citigroup, a senior consultant at IBM, and a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York City. Previously, he managed Operations and Technology for Peruval Finance. Mr. Perez has an undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru (1994), a Master of Administration from Universidad ESAN, Lima, Peru (1997) and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, New York, with a dual major in Finance and Management (2002). He belongs to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. Mr. Perez is an accomplished salsa and hustle dancer and resides in the New York City area.

London, UK — Equities First Holdings, LLC (EFH), a global provider of shareholder financing, confirms it has returned all shares used as collateral as part of a loan agreement with Joel Leonoff, chief executive of Paysafe plc as announced by the company on 24 March, 2017 (Details Here). Mr. Leonoff entered into the loan in March 2014 and has repaid his loan in full.

Since establishing its London office in 2013, EFH has carried out more than [£45MN] of shareholder loans to Professional Investors. The Paysafe plc transaction is the second public repatriation of shares — following a full repayment by Andrew Newland, CEO of Angle plc on 27 October, 2016 (Details Here). There are currently a portfolio of publicly announced or privately transacted UK loan agreements on the EFH books and discussions continue with other potential clients in the UK and throughout Europe.

“We are very pleased with the progress made by our London office, which is spearheading our commitment of US$100m of further investment for lending to the European Professional market in general,” said EFH founder and CEO, Al Christy, Jr.

Meanwhile, EFH — which is based in the USA — has announced in the month of its 15th anniversary that it has successfully completed more than 700 transactions since its inception and delivered in excess of US$1 billion to clients in the past four years alone.

EFH (http://www.equitiesfirst.com) continues global expansion — with 9 offices in the USA, Europe, the Far East and Australia — thanks to an investment model that takes advantage of natural, organic cycles in the market.

“Securities-based lending is a long-standing financial tool used by companies, governments, and individuals every day,” said Christy. “But very few financial institutions, including large commercial banks, can offer non-recourse features or loans with a low cost of funds. We have a successful track record because we live and breathe equities-based lending every day.”

Equities First (London) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom, register number 605564.

Edgar Perez, author of The Speed Traders and Knightmare on Wall Street, has partnered with Terrapinn Training for 3-Day Masterclass in Cybersecurity to bring key insights for CEOs and board members in New York and Singapore on cyber security.

New York City, NY, USA — Mr. Edgar Perez, author of Knightmare on Wall Street and The Speed Traders, returns to New York and Singapore with his insightful analysis and prescriptions for organizations to thrive in today’s information-driven economy.

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity and its key aspects
• Get to grips with various cybersecurity testing methods
• Learn valuable system administration techniques for executives
• Discover how to establish or improve your cybersecurity program
• Consider how the “weak human link” can become the organization’s greatest strength
• Understand the four components of the cyber preparedness continuum

Edgar Perez (http://www.mredgarperez.com), author of The Speed Traders and Knightmare on Wall Street, is a recognized futurist, keynote speaker and director of programs targeted at board members, chief executive officers and senior executives looking for new ways to gain and maintain a competitive business advantage.

SPEAKER’S RECENT TESTIMONIALS

• “Your presentation was the real highlight of the Emerging Markets Investments Summit. You clearly have the connections in the industry and are very well connected.” Alex Ritson, BBC News Presenter at The Newsroom, World Business Report and Business Matters (United Kingdom)

• “There is a new day in trading and speed is the key. Edgar Perez is the poster child.” Eugene Steele, Managing Partner, Trading Rooms World Wide (United States)

• “I would like to show my appreciation on your willingness to share your insights about cybersecurity. We would certainly have you in mind as we move forward to deal with this very important issue.” Nik Hasyudeen, former President of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (Malaysia)

• “It was such a pleasure to have you participate in our conference. The feedback was great and the information you shared with the audience was invaluable. Once again, thank you for your contribution in making the event a success.” Holly Chudzy, Corporate Events Coordinator, Peters & Co. (Canada)

SPEAKER’S KEYNOTE TOPICS

• The Importance of the Cybersecurity Framework for Directors and CEOs
An email embedded with malware. Security systems hacked by thieves. Credit card numbers stolen from store purchases. There’s certainly no shortage of examples when it comes to data security breaches and the havoc they wreak on business. No wonder then that nearly a third of CEOs in KPMG’s latest global survey identified cyber security as the issue having the biggest impact on their companies today. Every organization should apply a Cybersecurity Framework for analyzing cyber security, and ideally it should be integrated into an organization’s existing enterprise risk framework. The key is making it part of the mainstream of risk management within an organization. The most innovative companies today have recognized that cyber security is a customer experience and revenue opportunity, not just a risk that needs to be managed. Mr. Perez will explain why this must done across the entire organization and why the CEO and Board of Directors have the most important role to play.

• The Impact of Brexit in the U.K and the World
Companies inside and outside Britain’s borders have warned that the Brexit decision is affecting their businesses, highlighting how the June vote for the UK to leave the European Union is having wide repercussions. The vote roiled equity markets worldwide and led to a devaluation of sterling amid concerns over a prolonged slowdown in consumer demand. The U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union inflicted an immediate blow on the economy as business activity shrank at its fastest pace since the last recession seven years ago. The International Monetary Fund said that it had become less optimistic on global growth, and warned the damage could worsen if confidence falters among investors and companies, as fears abound over businesses and customers reining in spending during a period of uncertainty for the UK as it negotiates the terms of its exit. Mr. Perez will identify the world economies that will feel the lion’s share of the short and long-term pain to come.

• Establishing or Improving a Cybersecurity Program
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which was drafted by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), comprises leading practices from various standards bodies that have proved to be successful when implemented, and it also may deliver regulatory and legal advantages that extend well beyond improved cybersecurity for organizations that adopt it early. Its adoption may prove advantageous for businesses across virtually all industries. Mr. Perez will explain why a proper Cybersecurity Program will build on the analysis of the possible areas of concern, an understanding of the company’s most critical assets, and a thorough review of Information Technology’s policies and procedures when faced with cybercrime.

• Finance in the New Global Economy
Until quite recently, globalization was seen as a one-way street. Multinationals, which led the charge four decades or so ago into growing global markets, were its ambassadors, and American and European workers, whose wages and upward mobility were flattened, were feeling left out. The core idea was that globalization, technological innovation and unfettered free trade would erase historical and geographic boundaries, making the world ever more economically interconnected and alike. Developed economies would come under more and more competitive pressure from eager upstart nations. Now we are entering a new age of volatility. Financiers will become less important, manufacturers more so. Blue collar jobs will go high tech. Robots will replace Chinese workers. Mr. Perez will discuss why finance stands now in front of its biggest transformation triggered not by any of the financial conglomerates that dominate the world today but by obscure startups that could be working already in garages in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Kiev or Delhi.

• China: To Rebalance or Not to Rebalance
China’s 12th Five-Year Guideline in 2011 included efforts to rebalance its economy, shifting emphasis from investment towards consumption and development from urban and coastal areas toward rural and inland areas. Flash forward to 2016 and the country is exhibiting massive overcapacity in sectors linked to real estate, steel, cement, coal and construction equipment, zombie businesses continue to undermine the sustainability of China’s growth and exports are declining. At 260% of gross domestic product, the country’s overall debt is approaching danger levels. The world’s second-largest economy is now posting its weakest annual growth in 25 years, 6.9% for 2015. To top it all, $676 billion left China in 2015; with so much overcapacity in China, lack of confidence in the future as monetary policy can change tomorrow, why should people keep money inside China? Why should we bet on China? Mr. Perez will bring the answers you are looking for.

• The Biggest Risks for Financial Markets
Constant regulatory changes and technological evolution have transformed the financial landscape so profoundly since the advent of the first electronic networks in the early 1970s. Regulators around the world are now in a race to respond to the evolution of technology in financial markets and prevent its operational challenges from becoming the biggest risk for financial markets. However, when considering technology and the cyber landscape, errors are bound to happen. Financial services firms are expected to have deployed the most sophisticated defense systems against cyberattacks. Trading firms are expected to have controls in place and invest in the technology to keep up to date. Most companies would realize the need of these investments and honestly attempt to implement them, but their IT departments would soon hit a wall, because of direct involvement from senior management and boards of directors. Compliance actions against those who missed their importance will go a long way toward restoring investor confidence and limiting the impact of the biggest risk for financial markets.

• Blockchain and its impact on Finance
Blockchain technology (the software behind the digital currency, Bitcoin) offers an opportunity to overhaul existing business models, including banking infrastructure, approach to settlements and customer interactions. Now it is only a matter of time before the broader financial services and banking industries shift to blockchain and network-based approaches. The application possibilities are endless, improving the way we hold and transfer secure goods from money to deeds to music to intellectual property. In fact, blockchain, as a pure platform technology, may be able to cut out the middlemen (or middle companies) everywhere, even disrupting other disruptors like Airbnb or Uber. Mr. Perez will explain why the question is not whether network business models supported by blockchain technology will disrupt organizations, but when.

• Social Engineering: The “Weakest Human Link” in Cybersecurity
Social engineering involves tricking your employees into breaching security protocols or giving away information, most often over the telephone or via email. Social engineering exploits human weaknesses rather than technology, preying upon people’s propensity towards trust in particular. Often, these exploits are used to gather information to support a more targeted cyberattack, with the initial forays based on the premise of ‘little and often’ so as not to cause concern. Employees at all levels, including senior executives, are vulnerable. Mr. Perez will explain why by improving employee awareness and introducing simple technical measures, organizations can protect themselves against social engineering techniques and the risk of a cyberattack and its potential impact on business, customers and data.

• The Present and Future of High-Frequency Trading
On May 6, 2010, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 1,000 points, then its biggest intraday point drop ever. The “Flash Crash” revealed the influence of high-frequency trading to mainstream audiences around the world. In fact, over the past 15 years, the global financial market has fragmented: where there were once three main U.S. exchanges, there are now more than 40 exchanges and alternative trading systems. High-frequency trading companies have largely replaced traditional broker-dealers, using algorithms instead of human traders to make decisions in milliseconds, mostly in response to orders made by other algorithms. Mr. Perez will discuss the benefits brought by technology, making trading faster and more efficient, as well as the potential costs brought upon institutional and retail investors.

ABOUT EDGAR PEREZ
Mr. Edgar Perez is a published author, business consultant for billion-dollar private equity and hedge funds and Council Member at the Gerson Lehrman Group, Guidepoint Global Advisors and Research International, with subject matter expertise in cyber security, investing, trading, financial regulation (Dodd-Frank Act) and market structure.

He is author of Knightmare on Wall Street, The Rise and Fall of Knight Capital and the Biggest Risk for Financial Markets (2013), and The Speed Traders, An Insider’s Look at the New High-Frequency Trading Phenomenon That is Transforming the Investing World, published in English by McGraw-Hill Inc. (2011), Published in Mandarin by China Financial Publishing House (2012), and Investasi Super Kilat, published in Bahasa Indonesia by Kompas Gramedia (2012).

Mr. Perez is course director of Cybersecurity Boardroom Workshop, How Boards of Directors and CXOs Can Build the Proper Foundation to Address Today’s Information Security Challenges, and The Speed Traders Workshop, How High Frequency Traders Leverage Profitable Strategies to Find Alpha in Equities, Options, Futures and FX; he has presented his workshops in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Warsaw, Kiev, New York, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai. He contributes to The New York Times and China’s International Finance News and Sina Finance.

Mr. Perez was a vice president at Citigroup, a senior consultant at IBM, and a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York City. Previously, he managed Operations and Technology for Peruval Finance. Mr. Perez has an undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru (1994), a Master of Administration from Universidad ESAN, Lima, Peru (1997) and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, New York, with a dual major in Finance and Management (2002). He belongs to the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. Mr. Perez is an accomplished salsa and hustle dancer and resides in the New York City area.